Forsaken Words
by PlatinumDarkside
Summary: In a modern world with no Holy War, free from innocence and akuma, will the ay-man characters be able to find happiness? Or will their misery continue?
1. Chapter 1

"The is the last part. I'm sorry we have to put you through all this again, we just want to make sure all of the data lines up. Wouldn't want a smudge in the paperwork would we?" The woman was not sorry, in fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself. She had always treated him like an incompetent child. _She_ was his social security worker, Sarah, assigned to him by the government when the police got involved. They should have been involved much, _much_ sooner. But they weren't and likely never would have been involved, had that day not played out differently. _The past is still the past. Nothing is ever going to change._ He looked at the ground, walking with his head bowed. _Nothing is ever going to get better._ With a clack of her heels, Sarah lead him down a hallway, constantly twisting and turning. Allen looked up and watched the pictures, counted the turns. She was leading him in circles.

Finally she opened a door to the room neighboring the one they had originally started in. She smiled and signaled that he should enter. He stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her, a fire alight in his silver eyes.

"Hoping that I'll go mad and you can throw me to the nut house to be their pin cushion? That'd sure be less work for you huh?" He noticed her tense up before settling into a smirk.

"Smart kid. Probably too smart, I'll see you around Allen Walker." The door closed behind him and he turned to see what appeared to be an interrogation room that someone had vainly attempted to fix up. The result was a metal table and chair, and a rug hugging the concrete floor. Some cushioned chairs were scattered about the room. A police officer stood in the corner, dumping sugar into coffee poured from the machine in front of him. A therapist, detective, and member from the orphanage he was about to be transferred to all had seats near the table. Their attire gave away who was who, but all were older. All wore the same expression. _And all of them are probably thinking the same thing._ Allen knew he was a freak, he didn't need to be reminded of that by them.

"Have a seat" The therapist said, gesturing to the metal chair. Allen tensed and sat down slouching into the seat, with his hands in his pockets and eyes on the colorless floor. The therapist jotted something down on his notepad.

"I'm and this is-"

"Can we just get this over with, please?" Lee was surprised when the teen met his eyes. He spoke politely but his expression was unreadable. He added another scribble before continuing and pulling out some papers from his briefcase. The representative and detective repeated his action.

"Very well. The detective has some questions he wants to ask you. And would like some standard background information to help with the transition. Then of course there's Sarah who was concerned about your mental state, so here I am. I hope you don't mind." The look he gave Lee made it quite apparent that he did mind. He also knew everything Lee had just said already. Lee smiled slightly; _he's annoyed but… He's good at hiding it._ Questions began whirring through Lee's mind as the detective began his own invasive assault.

"Name?"

"Allen Walker."

"Gender?" Allen raised an eyebrow quizzically. The man sighed and checked a box before continuing.

"Age?"

"About fifteen" now it was the detective's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"When is your birthday?"

"I don't know" Allen had tensed slightly and cast his gaze down to the table. Lee began scribbling out the thoughts flitting about his overly active head.

"Surely you can just pull up his birth certificate?" , the representative from the orphanage spoke up.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple… You see we've been searching for his files for awhile, but he was never properly documented. He was born with a major deformity, so the doctors wanted to run some tests. For reasons unclear to us, his father took the child before the tests could be run, or even the birth certificate finalized. His mother was murdered two years later, shot five times. The autopsy revealed constant abuse, and stretch marks. When we swept the crime scene again we managed to find the incomplete birth certificate. We were unable to gain anything else, the father left in a hurry and the only unprinted word on the certificate was "demon". The date had been scratched out beyond recognition and it was the only copy. Three years after that however, the man was found dead, shot in a gang fight. We questioned witnesses, but no one mentioned the child and unfortunately the department had a lot on its plate at the time…" the detective who had been rubbing his temples glanced up at Allen.

"Can you tell us what happened that night?" Lee and seemed confused as to which night the detective was referring, but Allen understood. He straightened.

"I already told you everything I know."

"Yes, but the Earl is still at large, surely you have something-"

"I. Don't. Know." Allen's eyes flared with rage and sorrow fighting to be the dominant emotion.

"What happened that night?!"

"Detective please…" Lee interrupted before the situation could escalate further.

"Allen, could you share with us the events the detective is talking about? And perhaps some context as to what happened before, so and I have a better understanding." Allen looked away, eyes glazing slightly as he struggled to avoid being overtaken by unwanted memories.

"He was always mad… I was broken and it was my fault, and hers… Said she was pregnant. He didn't want another mistake and he lost it. We went away. He said it was another city but it all looked the same, dark, cold, full of monsters. He joined up with a local gang. I was their errand kid a lot… It was hard. When he died, I thought I could finally be free…" He paused, struggling to keep his composure. He kept his sentences short and used as little detail as possible.

"Ended up selling me to a place called The Circus. A couple years later I ran into Mana and he took me in, although legally you guys see it as kidnapping" He clenched his right hand tightly into a fist. The detective sat forward, placing his elbow on the tabletop while poising his other to write.

"Tell me more about Mana Walker." Lee fidgeted slightly, looking down at his notes.

"Mana was a street performer, a clown. Trained me as one too. He was at his best when he was performing, making people happy…" somehow, Allen managed to clench his fist tighter. Circulation was slowing down but he paid it no heed as he continued.

"But when he wasn't, when he took off that mask, he was crazy. He tried, _was_ a good father, but he would forget. He said strange stuff all the time, he would get lost and forget what he was doing…" Allen trailed off again, but the detective was determined to continue.

"Do you know anything about Nea Walker, Mana's alleged brother? We believe the two were involved with the Earl."

"I don't know." His voice remained level, but Lee could have sworn he saw Allen's left hand twitch through his jacket pocket. The detective sighed. Lee glanced at him; he hadn't seen the twitch.

"Very well… What about that night?" he was growing impatient. Lee tightened his grip on the pen he held.

"Mana was acting stranger than usual. He…"

"Spit it out!"

"He hit me… and… he…"

"What, did you kill him?! Stop wasting my time and tell me about the Earl!" The detective had jumped out of his chair and was leaning across the table.

"I don't remember, okay?! That's what I told you! Why won't you believe-" he was punched square in the jaw. Blood dripped from his mouth as his collar was tightly grabbed. The detective tightened his grip on the youth.

"Bullshit, you were there that night. The Noah took care of him right before your eyes. Then they brought you somewhere. Where? Was it their base? Are you working for them?!" Allen was punched again, before he could answer.

"Everything happened so fast" Another punch.

"Hey!" Lee jumped up. He was supposed to simply observe, only concern himself with his subject's _mental_ health. But this was just wrong.

"They knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in a dark room. They played a video, of how they killed Mana. But then, somehow, Mana was there. Said it was my fault. He cut my face, he cursed me, beat me up. The whole time the Earl was standing there, just watching. He left and had Mana go with him before he could kill me. Everything hurt and I was confused. I didn't remember anything until a few months later. One of Mana's drunkard acquaintances had raided the base looking for Mana. When he found me instead, he took me and made me work for him."

"Where is this man know? Where is Cross?"

" Dead. All I know is he was shot, had lots of enemies."

"And the Earl, when he was there did you see his face?"

"No" the detective released his grip; Allen clattered back onto the chair. With a sigh the man gathered his things at left.

"That's all for now." Lee glanced uncertainly at the boy. He had met hundreds of thousands of subjects, each with their own tragic tale. But this was by far the worst, including all the others who's lives were all but wrecked by the Earl. _The Earl… A criminal whose offenses range from mass murder to human trafficking. He's the leader of the most wanted terrorist organization, NOAH._ stood, snapping Lee from his thoughts.

"That wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped, don't expect anyone to even consider adopting you." She waved to the officer in the corner and exited the room. The officer walked over to Allen and kicked his chair. Snow white locks fell, obscuring his eyes from view like a curtain. He stood and was roughly shoved in the direction of the door. Lee was alone. He gathered his notes and exited the room as well. Before leaving, he cast a glance at the chair where the youth had been sitting. _It's not too late… It's never too late._


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome

Okay, I think I have this figured out? Sort of...? Not really... So Forsaken Words is currently my only story, which I will update every Monday, but I am working on other stuff. Thank you very much to Ryuakilover for reviewing! Unfortunately, Allen will continue to be a punching bag, but things get better next chapter I promise! In the mean time, please enjoy and review, any comments/ concerns/ suggestions are welcome!

* * *

This institute was the same as the last and all the ones before. Dull, dreary, depressing. Allen had stopped thinking about the constant shifts of the same thing. Only a few minutes until I'm shunned by the others here. Only a few days until they find out I'm a monster, and start treating me like one. Only a few weeks until something bad happens and I'm kicked out, banished to the next place. Nine hadn't bothered to give him a tour; she knew the drill as well. The officer shoved him through the main doors before retreating to his car of black and white. Allen watched it leave before he picked up his near empty backpack and walked down the corridor.

This orphanage was the remnants of an old Victorian mansion that was donated for the purpose it was currently serving. Since it was in fact a mansion, it was in a mansion subdivision on the edge of the city. Only the wealthy resided here, and they expected the children nearby to always behave. This specific location generally only took the better behaved; those who were soon to be adopted or in the process, or those a few months away from being able to live on their own. Those of Allen's ilk were forbidden, however this was the only institution left in the state from which he had not been kicked out of. And since Sarah was too lazy to type up the proper documents to request a statewide relocation, here he was.

The mansion was silent as Allen wandered down the hall leading to a grand hall. Some cords hung from the ceiling, reaching downwards in search of the chandeliers that had once hung from them. Double stairs lead to a second floor, with peeling wallpaper and ancient wooden rails. Specks of dust drifted about the ghost of a once magnificent room. Allen turned upon hearing footsteps muffled by bland carpet. A seventeen year old bearing a bored expression waved at the stairs. He remained fixated with the iPod in his hand as he led Allen up the stairs and down another hallway to their right lined with doors. The fourth door to their right was the one they went through.  
"First two on the right and three on the left are forbidden. Don't even bother with the left wing unless you're as suicidal as you look." Allen glanced at his drab attire of jeans and a black hoodie. He had dirtied sneakers and an old glove on his left hand, which was currently in the pocket of his hoodie. He had pulled up the hood in an attempt to conceal his hair and face. While he may not radiate happiness, to say he seemed suicidal was a stretch. Allen pondered the comment as he followed the stranger down the short corridor. At the end of the hall there were two doors. He turned to Allen for the first time, brown eyes locking with silver.

"Listen pipsqueak, I'm in charge till I move out in three months and eight days. My name's James but you're going to call me sir. Door to my left is the bedroom. Nine says we're 'sharing' but that ain't how this is going to work. Door to my right is the bathroom. That's where you're staying except for five to nine in the morning when I use it, twelve to ten when I also use it, and whenever I say it isn't yours. Got it?"

"Not to sound demanding, but why don't you tell me where to sleep or when, both isn't-" Allen's face was covered by Chaoji's hand in an instant before he was slammed against the door leading to the bathroom. One hand bore down on Allen's neck, pinning him, while the other tightly covered his mouth and nose. His thumb slid under Allen's jaw, holding it shut and forcing his head up and into the door, further exposing his neck. Always like this… Allen thought, not bothering to fight back.

"You are going to do what I say, when I say it. I'm in charge. And I don't want to see your ugly face until school tomorrow. I don't care how early you have to leave tomorrow, but you aren't showing up with me tomorrow. I'm using to bathroom from eight to ten, so you better not be in there, or there will be consequences." Chaoji kept Allen pinned for another minute before letting him drop. He gasped for air. The figure looming over him smirked and kicked him in the diaphragm, before retreating down the hallway. Allen lay in a heap on the ground, struggling to inhale bittersweet air once more. He stayed like that for awhile before pulling himself up and stumbling into the bathroom. A large window sat a few feet in front of him. A tub with faucet clinging above it to the wall was the shower. That took up at least a fourth of the space. a toilet sat in the corner and in the neighboring corner a sink sat with a small, broken mirror hanging over-head. He closed the door and slumped down the gray wallpaper, sitting on the black and white tiled floor. He sighed, but wanted to swear.

"Forgot about school…" He opened his backpack, sifting through the few contents. A few sets of clothes, a toothbrush, a broken pencil, and a faded crimson notebook. He had it since he started school five years ago, it was his most prized possession. He desperately tried to make it last, but each page was packed with notes for all his courses.

"I can make this work…?" He sighed again, hands falling to the floor.

"Heh, welcome home."


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

Only 26 more days (supposedly) until the new DGM Anime premieres! If that info turns out to be wrong, then at least there's only 46 days until the new chapter. Yes I'm that obsessed. Thank you to Allen Gray Walker for reviewing! Unfortunately if Allen fought back, whatever trouble that followed would be blamed on him, and he could get kicked out. Plus he doesn't have innocence to stab with. Although… Maybe he could stab later *evil grin*. Things finally aren't really crappy for Allen this chapter. I decided to try and make Allen more... Feisty? Nea-like? More like when he was a kid in the manga... Anyways enjoy, all reviews, comments, suggestions are appreciated!

Unsure of when school started and not wanting to confront Chaoji, Allen woke at four, got dressed and set out. He had showered after Chaoji used the bathroom, spending those two hours exploring the sections of the house that weren't of limits. Though since Chaoji had told him, he couldn't help but question the validity of the information.

The school was a fifteen minute drive from the mansion, a forty minute walk. The only information he had been given was the school's name; Dark Order Highschool. No one was around to ask about directions, so Allen was left to wander the city. He got lost within twenty minutes, and only found the school when he spotted a group of teens and thought to follow them. By the time he arrived, the sun had risen. A large clock built atop a small tower in the courtyard said it was almost seven thirty. Allen glanced skeptically at the group he had been following. They continued past school. _Probably going to get food_ he couldn't help but jealously speculate as his own stomach growled. He shook his head, pulled his glove on tighter and entered the courtyard.

He walked slowly across the stone and through the main doors. The building appeared to be empty, but Allen continued forward. He wandered about for a few minutes before locating the main office. A single person stood near the corner, copying papers.

"Hello?" The person, the man, turned and glanced in his direction. His eyes widened as he saw the small hooded figure instead of a colleague.

"Can I help you? School doesn't start for another hour."

"Oh" _Idiot. What am I going to do for three hours every morning?_

"Well it's my first day here and I wasn't sure so…" he remained in the doorway, placing his left hand in his hoodie pocket and fidgeting. The man sighed, he had short black hair, save the long white strands hanging down into his face, almost like a vampire.

"Oh, I recall hearing about that, your name is?"

"Allen Walker" he stopped fidgeting as the man turned off the machine and walked over to a stack of papers on one of the desks scattered about the room.

"It's around here somewhere… You can have a seat Allen, no need to stand there watching" he laughed, continuing to sift through papers. Allen slowly walked in, glancing about before finding a chair and quickly crossing over to sit in it.

"I'm Arystar Krory the third, my students just call me Krory. I teach history- Oh! Here it is!" He pulled a paper from the desk, sending sheets of white raining down. Krory sighed.

"His desk can't get much messier… Here you are" he handed Allen the paper. Allen took the sheet and stared at it blankly. The sheet was covered in columns, numbers and words organized into a graph that was intended to be self explanatory.

"Thanks" it wasn't as though he couldn't read, Allen just wasn't very good at it. He had never been to school until he was eleven, so he had practically taught himself, what was taught to the other kids his age was completely lost on him. But he _wanted_ to learn. Krory watched as he scanned the paper, then sighed and folded it into his pocket.

"There isn't much more I can do for you unless you have one of my classes?" he offered. Allen looked up with a blank expression, he withdrew the paper again. Frantically cursing inwardly, he looked at the paper. _Okay, I can do this. His name is Krory so… That starts with a 'c' which is…_ He ran his finger across the page, ' _c' keeps coming up in front of the same word, c-clue? Cla-class! Oh, wait._ He mentally slapped himself before mumbling the alphabet. ' _K'! That's it!_ He started running his finger over the page again. Krory coughed and he looked up.

"I'm currently the only history teacher this school has, we're quite understaffed. So you should have me." Allen blankly stared again.

"I haven't seen a schedule arranged like this before" Allen sighed, handing Krory the paper again. Usually, Sarah arranged meetings with the school administrator who would give them a tour and explain Allen's schedule. While time consuming, this ultimately meant less paperwork for Sarah and allowed Allen to memorize his schedule as he learned it. This time, Sarah was hoping would diagnose him with some sort of mental handicap, and hadn't bothered to arrange such a meeting before. _This could be a problem._

"Really? This is a standard schedule… Yes here, you're in my first block class! You transferred in at a strange time, middle of the quarter, and on a Tuesday. I don't recall seeing any of your transcripts, what did you cover in your last history course?" Krory seemed eager to continue helping as he handed Allen his schedule again. Allen smiled slightly, history was one of the only subjects he could understand. The lessons were always explained verbally and never required prior knowledge. He tried to recall the last lesson at his old school.

"I think it was, World War I?" His enthusiasm faded as he remembered why he didn't like history; humans were always fighting each other.

"Oh good, we're just about to start that unit. There's some background information I'd like you to go over first. Would you mind if I gave you some worksheets, just to make sure you're caught up?" He grabbed a stack of papers from the machine and exited the office. Allen followed down a hallway, up some stairs and to what he presumed was Krory's classroom. Krory hinted that the school was small, but it still had two stories. _Hopefully I don't get lost…_ Allen tried to memorize the route just in case. Krory set the papers on his desk and began rifling through drawers.

"My desk is a mess but it's still better than Komui's" Krory laughed as he pulled out some papers and handed them to Allen.

"These shouldn't be too hard, all of the answers are online. I'd like for you to get these back to me next week, but other teachers are probably going to assign catch-up work as well, so whenever works." Krory smiled before continuing.

"I'd give you a tour but Komui insists that we use the buddy system, so one of the students will do that. Until then you could wait in the office?" he offered. Allen nodded and headed for the door.

"One more thing, no hats or hoods on in school." Allen swallowed nervously.

"Then it's a good thing school hasn't started yet" Allen said before retreating back to the office.


	4. Chapter 4: Light and Suspicion

Thank you very much to, soursupergirl for reviewing, and to everyone else who has followed and favorited (is that a word..?) this story! I'm unsure of the direction the story is going, but I do know it will continue for awhile. This chapter brings in Lenalee, I'm debating whether or not to change her personality as well… Hoshino said that Lenalee was originally very fiery and feisty, but spontaneously became nice after her backstory was developed, so maybe this Lenalee should be like that too...? For now she's just shy, but maybe she'll be more opinionated, loud… Like when she was unable to invoke and just punched people *evil grin*. Please share any thoughts, comments concerns, and enjoy! (Also, this universe is still Innocence/ akuma/ 14th/ etc free)

* * *

Allen wound up getting lost on his way back to the office, wandering about aimlessly for at least ten minutes. The accidental detour was not a total waste however. He had stumbled across a seemingly unused music room. Not wanting to risk getting caught or lose track of time, he had only stepped in for a minute. _So the school does have a piano._ After confirming this, he continued his search for the office.

"There you are!" Allen jumped, eyes widening at the sound of the familiar voice.

" ?" The slightly solem therapist wearing glasses stood, smiling and waving wildly. instead of a suit, he now wore a lab coat and and strange hat.

"Have you met him before Komui?" beside him, stood a girl. She was around Allen's age with flowing black hair, made unique by the fact that it somehow had a mossy sheen, pinned in twin tails. Her eyes were a stunning cross between obsidian and violet. She wore a black skirt and white top. The black jacket with red trim had a strange cross near the left shoulder. _This school has a uniform?! I thought only private schools did that… How am I going to afford that?_

"Yes, when he was applying for the school, like all the other students" he answered, turning to face the girl, smile widening. _Apply? Why do I get the sense that this isn't a public school… Wait, but if it is private, why are they understaffed? Private schools are usually really expensive so they can afford tons of stuff. Another thing…_ He walked over to the pair, who had begun whispering _._ The girl glanced at him, blushing slightly before turning to mumble something at her brother. Allen stopped. _Well that's… Weird. I can't judge though, besides, they're siblings so it was probably something he said._ Her legs, hidden by black stockings, shifted about nervously.

"As I told you before, I'm , the principal of this school. Most of the staff and students however just call me Komui" he smiled, but gave Allen a look. He wasn't planning on questioning , not in front of her at least. Allen nodded, unsure of what to do.

"I'm Lenalee Lee" the girl spoke up at least, offering a warm smile and her hand.

"I'm Allen Walker" he hesitated slightly before shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Allen."

"Y-you too."

"A-hem" Komui coughed, and the two awkwardly released each other's hands.

"I've asked Lenalee to show you around the school and explain the rules. There aren't very many, but I do expect you to uphold them." Allen nodded, keeping his head down.

"I'll leave you to it then. And since first block has already started, you probably shouldn't go to class until second block, so as not to disturb your fellow students."

"Alright, see ya Komui" Lenalee waved before walking down the hall, Allen in tow. Komui sighed, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose as he watched the pair retreat.

"I hope this works…"

* * *

"Sorry if my brother was weirding you out, he does that sometimes" Lenalee laughed.

"It's fine" Allen said. _If anything you're weirding me out… She seems nice, but also nervous. Maybe her brother pressured her into doing this? That would explain a lot._

"So I think one of the rules I'm supposed to point out is that you're not supposed to wear a hat or hoodie or anything…" She said, turning to face him with a small smile.

"Krory said the same thing… But Komui had a hat, so why can't I wear a hood?" he pointed out bluntly. She sighed.

"My brother is… Interesting… He does all kind of weird stuff like that, I don't know why that's a rule, I just… Don't want you to get in trouble on your first day." Lenalee continued walking, her head tilted slightly so her bangs fell into her face, hiding it from view.

"Right… But no one's around right now so… I'll take it off when we get to class."

"It's your choice I guess" she mumbled. _Now I feel guilty…_ Allen then recalled why he wore the hood and the tinge of guilt instantly faded. They walked in silence for a few more minutes before going through a doorway.

"This is-"

"The entrance to the school yes. I figured this would be a good place to start. Those gates remain closed pretty much all the time, they are only open a few hours before and after school for club and faculty members. We have free time after first block and fourth. Lunch is after third block, some students come here then to."

"Komui mentioned blocks as well…"

"'Block, period, class, they all mean the same thing." Lenalee smiled as Allen tried to process all the information she had just thrown at him.

"May I see your schedule?" Allen blinked, before recalling what she meant. He pulled the paper from his pocket and handed it over.

"Hm… Our schedules are pretty similar. Come on, I'll show you around." Lenalee gave him a tour, which was more in depth than he had originally expected. There was the courtyard, then the gym to the right of the entrance. Locker rooms were accessed from the gym, and outside the gym was a trail to the stadium, which was in the woods behind the school. The cafeteria was to the left, and there was outdoor seating along the side of the school. Past that was the lobby, the center of the school. Branching off from their was the office, library and main staircase. All of the math, science and literature classes were downstairs. A corridor lead from them to the lobby. Upstairs were all of the classes considered electives, history, art, language, computers, etc. Lenalee briefly talked about the music room, long abandoned and tucked away in the maze of classes upstairs. People had lost interest, so the music program was cut.

Lenalee proceeded to then walk him through his schedule, showing him the location of all of his class. First was history with Krory, then literature with , biology with , geometry with , PE with , followed by, surprisingly, a combat class also with Link. Lenalee had all of the same classes except for the last one. She had an art course with instead.

"Why is there a combat class?" Allen didn't object, in fact, he was looking forward to it. While he didn't enjoy fighting, he was exceptionally good at it.

"Oh… Well you see…" Lenalee sighed.

"I suppose I better explain some of the rules to you. The first ones are fairly standard, no hats, hoods, masks, in school. Uniforms are strongly preferred but not mandatory. And then there's-" Lenalee was cut off by a bell echoing about the halls. Allen jumped at the sound, then tensed as students and a few teachers flooded into the lobby.

"Come on, I'll take you to meet . She's a bit… Forgetful" Lenalee smiled and led him upstairs.

"What were you saying about the rules?" Allen asked.

"Oh! Let's see… No one is allowed on campus as night, no exceptions. And you need eight electives to graduate, at least three should be combat classes." Allen looked at her quizzically. _I've never heard of a school with fighting classes before… What is this place really?_ As if she could read his thoughts, Lenalee, said solemnly:

"You'll figure it out soon…"


	5. Chapter 5: School is Boring

I'm SOOO sorry this is late. My teachers decided projects and tests all at the same time was a good idea… They were wrong. Thank you again to soursupergirl! Short, uneventful chapter… I'll try and make up for it next week, there are plans *evil grin. Meeting of Kanda, Lavi, Link and… Hopefully I'll post on time next week, my apologies.

Chapter 5: School is a Boring

After arriving at 's class, it only took seconds to understand Lenalee's choice of words. Forgetful yes, but also clutzy and, overall, a mess; her room, her hair, nothing was spared from her wrath of unfortunate accidents. Allen liked that, the thought that others were ill-fainted as well. But if could perserve than so could he.

" ?" Lenalee poked her head into the room, apparently to make sure the instructor wouldn't be startled and cause a series of potentially dangerous chain reactions. She did not. In fact, she was asleep at her desk. When Lenalee shook her awake, she did however manage to send coffee and papers flying and knock over her chair, then the trash can.

"Oh, oh no! Uh! Oh not again! Oh! Hello, I'm " She extended her hand with a smile brighter than the bags under her eyes. Allen tentatively reached out his hand in return.

"Allen Walker." The day continued on as such for awhile. Miranda had spilled coffee all over her papers, so she assigned him some reading instead, which he was completely unsure of, and since he was unwilling to ask, did not intend on doing. _Hopefully she forget. With my luck though she'll hold a grudge._ Allen thought with a sigh. 's class was unstructured and overall hectic, by the end it had derailed into light conversation which Allen had avoided like the plague. With his hood up in the back, no one even noticed the new student, much to Allen's delight. Lenalee didn't push the subject, which was a plus, though Allen could tell she was thinking about it.

There next stop proved less eventful. Allen had took a wrong turn, losing Lenalee for a minute and getting lost. By the time they reunited and ran to class, they were late. was so wrapped up in his lecture however, that they were able to sneak in unnoticed. He continued to speak for the rest of class, phasing only briefly to write examples on the board. Allen felt he had actually lost knowledge, and if asked, wouldn't even try to explain what had just been rambled. He pulled out his schedule regardless and flipped it over. When he got separated from Lenalee he managed to find half broken pencil, which he used to jot down the examples. He didn't understand them, but wrote down the answers when explained them anyways. Someone asked a question right before the bell, resulting in him forgetting to assign homework Allen assumed. He tried to make a beeline for the door before he could remember, but Lenalee dragged him up to 's desk.

"This is Allen, the new kid. Is there any work you want him to do to catch up?"

"Hi, Allen, it's nice to meet you, let's see…" He had been distracted with erasing the boards and only glanced at Allen, before turning to his desk and pulling out a packet.

"I wasn't sure what you had learned before, so if you could fill out everything you know from this study-guide I can assign you more tomorrow." He smiled, the packet wasn't too big, but to Allen, the thing of big words and confusing concepts was daunting.

"Alright. Thanks…" he shoved the packet in his bag as continued, adjusting his thick glasses.

"Did you understand the lesson alright?"

 _No, was it even in English?_ "Mostly."

"That's good, just ask if you have any questions!"

"Alright."

"Bye " Lenalee waved before dragging Allen out of the room.

"He's nice but he talks a lot… His lectures can also be hard to follow sometimes…"

"Ya…"

"You didn't get any of it did you?" Her question was met with silence. Sighing she said,

"I can tutor you if you get too lost, okay. I'm not the best at science either though." The silence continued and Lenalee was about to huff out a snarky comment at Allen's overall mood when he surprised her.

"I would really like that, you don't have to though, thank you." His gaze was downward, hiding his face. Unsure of how to react, they continued in silence. Allen made another wrong turn, but Lenalee was quick to grab his arm this time.

"How do you not run into walls?" Allen smirked. Lenalee laughed.

"Whatever sarcastic comments you have are fine, nothing could be worse than Kanda's." Allen raised an eyebrow, she sighed.

"He's a student, a senior. So is Lavi actually, they're both deadbeats though and can't drive, so we'll probably hang out now."

"Now? What about class?"

"We have lunch now, remember?" More silence, which continued as they waited in line for food, which thankfully was free.

"Can I go to the library during lunch?"

"I don't see why not, aren't you going to eat?"

"Ya, but I'm not sure I want to do that here…"

"Why not?"

"I'm just… Not much of a people person." There were a number of snarky responses he expected to hear, none of which aligned with what she actually said.

"I understand. I'll be here if you want someone to talk to." Startled, Allen blushed slightly, turning his face away.

"Thank you…" She smiled at that, but didn't say anything else, she waved after getting her food and heading to a nearby table. Allen waved slightly before trying his luck and ordering to meals, both with large portions. The chef, Jerry, didn't question it, and looked like he wanted to same something. He would have if Allen hadn't left so quickly. He proceeded to scarf down the food as he walked, standing by the wall near the door. Once he finished off his meal he headed for the library.


	6. Chapter 6: Confusion

Thank you to Ryuakilover and soursupergirl for reviewing! This chapter is on time (sorta *cough cough*) yay! I've started two other DGM stories that have most of my attention at the moment. Both are far closer to cannon and rather similar as well as… Depressing? Dark is probably the best word, very dark. Which comes more naturally to me than this happy story, if you could call it that. I'll post those soon enough. Maybe. Anyways, please review and enjoy!

Chapter 6: Confusion

The journey was ultimately doomed. First, Allen had little sense of direction and got lost ridiculously easy. Second, he did not actually intend on going to the library. He ventured halfway there before detouring to one of the few rooms he remembered the specific location of: the music room. He found it quickly but was unsure of what to do upon arrival. _There's no way I can play during school without getting caught…_ Instead he just ducked into the room, closing the door behind him, and sitting there. He sat there the rest of lunch, back against the wall in the dark, comforting himself with the knowledge their was an instrument among the shadows that could bring him something other than despair.

The bell rang, startling Allen. He jumped up and quickly exited the room. He scrambled to find his schedule, using it to jog his memory instead of reading. _Krory, Lotto, Gil, then Reever right?_ _That was…_ Finding the room was harder than anticipated, but Allen managed to duck into class just as the bell was ringing. He was instantly uneasy of the teacher. As far as first impressions go, Reever came off as strict and someone who's temper you did not want to press. Upon entering the room, Allen was startled to find a small but well structured class. They were already silent and anticipating the lesson when he barged in.

"Allen right? Please have a seat over there by Lenalee. The seating chart is mandatory so get comfy. I also expect you to be slightly more prepared, than most teachers oh- and lose the hood." All of this was spoken nonchalantly but with a subtle hint of strictness. The majority of Allen's unease rose from the fact that Reever never once looked up from the paper he was grading. Allen scurried across the classroom and sat behind Lenalee as instructed. He began to pull out his notebook when a cough captured his attention. Reever was looking, glaring directly at him. All of his previous teachers and been too distracted to take notice of his disobedience of school policy. Allen fidgeted slightly, vainly attempting to delay the inevitable before reaching up and nudging the hood off his head. His snow-white hair was a stark contrast to that of everyone else in the room. Reever said nothing.

He rose and moved on to the lecture. It was briefer than 's but packed full of more information. Allen wasn't even sure he was speaking english by the end. At one point he simply ceased speaking and sat back down. The room filled with shuffling papers and thumps as the rest of the class pulled out thick textbooks and turned to seemingly random pages, jotting down numbers and letters then scribbling paragraphs below. He was completely flustered by his lose of understanding, and frustrated, pulled out his schedule. He flipped it over to the backside, then glanced over Lenalee's shoulder. He copied down one of the strange sentences and set to work on figuring it out. Meaning he spent the rest of class staring at the foreign equation. The bell rang and everyone gladly evacuated the class. Lenalee hung back, a silent reminder that Allen should talk to Reever about additional work.

Allen sighed before slinking unwillingly over to his desk. His fingers itched to pull his hood back on and make a hasty retreat.

"Do you know where your next class is?" Reever asked as he approached, once again remaining focused on his work. Allen thought to the large gym, then nodded.

"Lenalee, would you mind going ahead? I would like to have a word with Allen." Lenalee nodded, cast Allen an uneasy '"good-luck" smile, and exited. Surprisingly, Reever halted in his work to look Allen in the eye.

"Did everything make sense." Allen nodded, unable to flat out lie under the intense gaze.

"I didn't see you take a single note, did _anything_ make sense?" At this Allen paused. Before he had time to weigh the pros and cons of lying, he shook his head no with a sigh, casting his gaze downwards. Reever sighed, running his hand through his hair as students for his next class began filing in.

"I don't want to keep you, and I'd rather have this discussion in private. I would appreciate if you meet me here after-school so we can discuss possible tutoring options." Allen nodded and swiftly left. As soon as he left he instinctively pulled on his hood then headed for the gym.

Lenalee was already there and changed, sporting black shorts and a baggy pink t-shirt. Allen probably would have been more awed by her lack of clothing if his thoughts hadn't so quickly drifted elsewhere. _Crap. You're supposed to have separate clothes for this stuff…_ He went over to lean against the wall when someone yanked his hood off. He spun to see his offender, and was instead met with a wide-grinned face.

"What's with your hair? Weird color, mess up on the dye? I'm Lavi." Lavi wore a green t-shirt and sweatpants, his atrocious red hair was spiked, yet somehow partially obscured the eye-patch over his right eye.

"What about you?"

"Oh this?" Lavi ran his hand through his hair with a smirk.

"All natural, jealous?"

"No. What's with the eye-patch?" Lavi laughed again then through an arm over Allen's shoulder.

"You've got a smart-mouth, I like it. You and Yu are gonna be real entertaining to watch." Allen raised an eyebrow and pushed Lavi's arm away.

"Don't call me that stupid rabbit." Allen turned to see someone about Lavi's height, who was at least half a foot taller than Allen, emerge from what he assumed was the locker room. The black haired figure was closely followed by someone with a similar build but much shorter locks. A strange black line crossed over the face of the second person who said, "Come on, don't be like that. I like your name Yu!" He then proceeded to ruffle the hair of the first person, pulling a few strands from their ponytail and thoroughly pissing him off. He did nothing but tsk however and storm off. Lavi offered a hand to Yu's offender, who gladly high-fived him. The two grinned at each other before turning their attention to Allen.

"This is Alma, and that was Yu." Lavi said pointing.

"If you don't want to lose a limb though, you should probably call him Kanda" Alma offered. Allen raised an eyebrow before nodding like they were both crazy. Lavi chuckled and said

"Seriously though, Lena said you were in Link's combat class at the end of the day. Unless you're some kind of superhuman don't piss him off. Link will only make you work more if you get blood on the mats." With that the two left, leaving Allen alone with his worry, suspicion and confusion.


	7. Chapter 7: Unexpected

Thank you to soursupergirl for the continuous reviews/ support! Not much to say other than HYPE for the new anime, -man Hallow! If you have not seen the new PV go to YouTube NOW, it is by TMS Entertainment, and then maybe come back and read this… *flashes thumbs up* Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Unexpected

As soon as the bell rung, everyone darted into a line along the gym wall. Straight backs and silence were all that remained of the bumbling students when the instructor emerged from a side door. Blond hair braided and a stern glare etched into his face. He walked up down the line of students, glancing them over before rounding on Allen, still slouching against the wall with his hood up and dirty street clothes on.

"You must be the new student" he eyed him then glared.

"How dreadful." _I hate him already…_

"I do hope you were not planning to skip class just because you're stuck in… That. I don't care if your clothes are ruined by the end of the day or how bad they smell, now get in line follow the rules." He spun on his heel and marched to the side door, guarding it while everyone filled outside. Allen grimaced, abandoning his bag to join the procession. On his way out the man hooked the back of his knee, bending it suddenly and causing Allen to fall.

"No hoods in school." Allen spun to glare through his snow white locks before brushing himself off and storming through the now dispersed line. Lenalee had just shooed away the red-head, so he went to join her.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh, hi. Sorry about Link, he's a good instructor just… Strict."

"Ya…"

"We're going to the training grounds, the outside one in the stadium. We always go there, even if it's miserable outside." Allen remained skeptical, but didn't question. _Stadium, huh? I guess that could be a football field?_

"Did something happen?" Allen jumped slightly and turned to face her again.

"Your hair…" She spoke softer now and looked away. This was different from the usual blunt remarks, there was something else tinting her voice.

"Ya when I was a kid…" He replied, in a rather soft tone as well and without saying anything beyond that.

"Things got gloomy, that's no way to flirt beansprout." Allen whirled, nearly head-butting Lavi.

"Yikes you're dangerous!" Lavi jumped back with a mocking grin.

"Beansprout?" Allen tried desperately to stop his eye from twitching out of rage.

"Haha, yup! That's what Yu called you" he spoke cheerfully despite the growing darkness. The path they currently trode was lined with shadows cast by the looming pines encasing them and the school. Allen hadn't realized before that the school was on the edge of town as they left both behind. Ten minutes later they arrived at the stadium. It was _not_ a football field. Coliseum would be a better word than stadium. It was down a steep hill, set into the Earth as though it had crashed there like a meteor. Stone walls towered skywards, obscuring their view inside despite their considerable height above it. A few students worked their way down a steep set of stairs. Others took a different route.

"Come one Yu!" Alma's voice was heard further ahead, followed by a thump, then Kanda was gone. Alma was quick to jump of the ridge after him.

"Hey wait for me!" Lavi yelped as he too leaped.

"Wait are they doing?!" Allen raced to the edge, skidding to a halt. Instead of their bodies, bent in a ditch, he saw the three skidding down the hill, jumping occasionally to avoid rocks. Once they neared the bottom they leaped again and landed running, catching themselves with ease and barging into the 'stadium'.

"Shall we go then?" Lenalee smiled as she approached him.

"Wait you can't-" Her grin never faltered as she shoved him off the ledge. He was quick to catch his balance, but still managed to tumble. He struggled to grasp onto something, anything before he landed on a rock and was seriously injured.

"Calm down" the feminine voice chided as she grabbed his arm, righting him and yanking him down the slope behind her. She was confident in her movements, more so than the other three. Instead of jumping over rocks she casually slid around them, weaving between and picking up speed. Allen was thankful that her firm grip gave him something to steady himself on as skid across the slanted soil. When they neared the end she said, "don't follow me and nothing fancy!" She let go and propelled forward, leaping way too soon only to vanish. Allen would have questioned more if the ground hadn't snuck up on him. He jumped at the last minute and unable to balance himself again, tucked his shoulder and rolled. He still had a great deal of speed do he bounced out of the roll and ran into the stadium, slowing naturally. Lenalee blazed past him, skidding to a halt a second before crashing into Alma and Lavi, who had turned to wait for the others. The pair was showered head to toe in sand she hand kicked up because of the sudden stop. She smiled innocently as Lavi half jokingly hacked up sand cursing.

"No fair-" he spat, desperately slapping sand off himself. The three straightened up when Link arrived.

The entire class was a crazy workout. Running laps around the sand-floored stadium, stretching, running some more. Allen's clothes were all but ruined half way through. It didn't help that he refused to remove his hoodie, no matter how hot he became. This continued until everyone was out of breath, at which point, Link ordered everyone to sprint across the stadium. The stadium was three times as large as a football field and Allen was sure he would die. He did not of course but a few unlucky students passed out or threw up. Link left them alone, simply watching.

 _Is this even legal?!_ Those still standing exhaustedly halted in the middle, heaving for breath.

"Alright, five minute break, get partners, walk halfway across then start on some warm-up drills. Everyone nodded and broke apart. Kanda and Alma split off, heading for the far edge of the stadium. Lavi strolled up to Lenalee, still out of breath and flashed her a thumbs up. She sighed, less out of breath then him. She turned to leave before spinning back around. Glancing at Allen and his confused stare.

"D-

"Don't worry about him Miss Lee." The two turned to see Link approaching. _I have a bad feeling about this._

"Walker is going to be my partner."


	8. Chapter 8: Thunder

Thank you to Ryuakilover and soursupergirl for continuously reviewing! It makes me very happy :) Sincere apologies for no new chapter last week, technical difficulties… So this week there are 2 chapters! After re-reading the last chapter (to figure out where I left off) I realized it's full of grammar errors, I'll try to edit more before posting, my apologies. On another note: I am working on other dgm stuff, I promise. Hopefully I'll have a couple of one-shots up by the end of the month… In the meantime if you have any suggestions for the story or thoughts please feel free to share them/ enjoy!

Chapter 9: Thunder

Link casually led them to the middle of the stadium, ignoring the looks of the other pairs, which ranged from glances of mild concern to smirks. Lenalee had not outright protested the instructor's order, but she looked as though she wanted to. Instead she dragged Lavi behind her as she followed Allen and Link. They stopped in the middle of the stadium and Link turned to glare at her. Lavi recoiled slightly but Lenalee merely folded her arms.

"This isn't fair."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"It's his first day, for all we know he's never even been in a fight." The two turned and glanced at Allen, who offered a frown and furrowed brow of annoyance.

"I doubt that" Link snorted. _What's that supposed to mean?!_ Allen glared before voicing his confusion.

"Why does a school even need a class like this?!" Lenalee's glare faltered, eyes drifting and head bowing slightly. She turned and reunited with Lavi before throwing a glance over her shoulder at Allen and his ever increasing confusion.

"If things get out of hand I'm stopping you" was all she said before dragging Lavi towards the side of the stadium.

"Hey! You never-" a chill shot down Allen's spine and he halted his questions to leap back, barely avoiding a carefully aimed kick. He stumbled backwards in shock. _This is insane… Since when do teachers attack their students?! This is-_ his thoughts were interrupted as Link proceeded to throw a series of punches. Allen continuously dodged and blocked to the best of his ability, but was all too aware that he was quickly being forced back towards the edge of the arena.

 _I refuse to fight, that's all they ever want. If I fight they… They…_ After dodging another punch and stumbling backwards, Allen stopped hopping. Link stopped to, his stance menacingly unique in comparison to the confident poses of his past opponents. Yet almost, distracted. He was merely playing.

 _That's right. He's not the first one to do this, 'they' were the first. And if he's like them…_ Allen sank into a fighting stance similar to Link's, something somewhat foreign to him, compared to the crude fist throwing of the streets, yet strangely comfortable. Link raised his eyebrows slightly, a smirk dancing across his lips for a moment.

 _They did the same thing. I'm tired of running. I don't care what happens to me, I never did, but I'm so tired of running._ Link charged, was on him in an instant with a strong sidekick straight to the stomach. Allen saw his gaze shift, heard the sand move beneath his feet, but let the attack find it's mark, he would _not_ run. He flew backwards, pain shooting through him as he tumbled across the ground.

 _Pretty strong. And fast. But…_ Before he stopped rolling, Allen heard the nearly muted sound of Link charging once more. Allen tucked in his shoulder, rolling and twisting so that he slid backwards, still kicking up sand but now facing his opponent. A thick cloud of dust rose up from his constant impacts, he now used that to gain an advantage. Link charged straight, parting the cloud as he went, while Allen slunk about, using the dust as a cloak. As soon as Link reached the clouds edge Allen sprang away from the sand, aiming his fist at the back of Link's head. The instructor spun at the last second, blocking the fist. Allen's right hand flopped aside with ease and Link threw his own punch at Allen's head. He did not dodge, nor did he take the hit as before.

Instead he caught the fist, halting the arm's motion with ease. Link's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. He yanked his arm back, but remained trapped in the firm grip of the boy's left hand, which skillfully guided him downward using his own momentum against him. Link sprawled onto the sand, coughing as some entered his mouth, for his side had been kicked, rolling his entire body. Allen then proceeded to twist the man's arm violently behind him. The move was ultimately meant to pin, but Link let it go no further. He moved his shoulder into the twist, decreasing the pressure while he rolled back. He kicked out, the boy blocked but was forced back by a second kick to the ribs, delivered by Link's other leg. Link used the momentum that had moments before been used on him, on his opponent instead. In seconds Allen was forced down by another of Link's kicks. The same strength that had sent him flying before now struck his ribs, forcing him onto the ground. His neck whiplashed dangerously as a result of the impact, but even after he coughed up blood Link remained unconcerned.

Allen struggled to roll, kick, something, but Link held him firmly in place. His foot lifted for half a second, offering Allen a chance to think of escape, but not act on it. The half second passed and Link's knee smashed into Allen's back. Another mouthful of blood left the boy then his right arm was being pinned behind his back, just as he had attempted to do to Link. Allen grit his teeth, refusing to scream as Link bent his arm far more than necessary, pushing it back. Link continued until he heard the satisfying pop of the limb dislocating, then pushed further still. He heard the grinding of the boy's teeth but nothing more.

"I suppose I'm not completely disappointed. You had some…Non-conventional tricks and lasted longer than I expected." Link held him there, testing the boy's patience for a good five minutes, before sighing.

"You also don't scream your head off." He released Allen's arm and stood.

"I suppose that's good enough for now" he clapped his hands together and the other pairs ceased their sparring. They quickly made their way out of the stadium, leaving Allen as the dark clouds crackled above. Allen lay on his stomach for a few minutes before pushing himself up with his left hand. His clothes were trashed but at least his gloves were in decent shape. Thunder crackled. His ribs were cracked and sore. The skies roared. Bruises were already forming and his cheek was swollen. Soon rain would fall. Allen really had nothing left, not that he had anything to begin with. Drowning the cracked earth. He really did not care anymore. The first few drops descended. If this was his life, than it just wasn't worth living.


	9. Chapter 9: Lightning

Sooo last chapter was really depressing… So this one should be happier? Maybe. Mush Lenalee but I'm not sure they will be shipped… PLanning for other character moments in the future (next up is Lavi I think). Enjoy and review!

Chapter 9: Lightning

"Mmm" Lenalee struggled against Lavi's firm grip over her mouth, and Alma's arms pinning her arms to her sides in a bear hug.

"Calm down- Gah! Your kicks hurt!"

"Lena, if you attack Link you could get expelled!"

"Ya, it's not worth it!" Alma had abandoned his sparring with Kanda when the one-sided match reached it's climax. When Lenalee could no longer see the new student, she had attempted to interfere. Lenalee was wicked fast, and Lavi barely managed to grab her, he wouldn't have managed to at all had he not predicted her movements. She quickly wriggled out of his grasp, but with Alma there she had a much more difficult time. She was fast, but the pair was strong, they dragged her to the side of the stadium, ducking through an arch between the stone steps and out of sight from the match. Where they were now struggling to keep her from doing something uncharacteristically rash.

"Ouch!"

"Let go now!" She demanded, finally speaking after biting down on Lavi's hand to loosen his grip.

"Lena, if you fight-"

"So what, did I not help you on your first day?"

"That was-"

"Then why shouldn't he get the same treatment?"

"We're older now, I'm sure-"

"It's not right!" Lenalee yelled, much louder than anticipated. Lavi flinched slightly and Alma winced as silence settled.

"It's not right" she repeated, softly this time.

"We've all suffered from what they did to us, but that doesn't mean the government should just lump us together, and expect us to train… Just because we got hurt, doesn't mean we have a bloodlust for revenge! We should not have to fight for them, we're just kids!" She pulled out of Alma's arms and away from Lavi.

"And so is he…" Lenalee did not run to the new student's rescue, she knew it was too late by now and would be considered humiliating. For a stranger to be rescued by a girl… Lenalee clenched her fist and quickened her pace. _I hate this. Stupid school. Stupid society. Stupid rules._ She stormed out from under the stone, entering the stadium. The sand was heavy, slowing her pace as it grabbed at her feet, sticking together due to the rain. As suspected, the stadium was empty, everyone else was returning to the gym. Everyone but him. The boy she had just met, sat alone amidst the rain. Her fist clenched tighter at the thought of what Link had done. But it wasn't his fault, not really. The administration had trained him, sent him. They were the ones who wanted all the kids affected to be in one place, so they might be trained to claim revenge. _But that's not what we want… Not at all._ The boy was a mess. His thin hoodie was drenched and torn. He sat with his head bowed and legs tangled beneath him as though he could not find the strength to stand. She halted before him.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I should have interfered before. Here" she stretched out her hand, a soft smile attempting to wash away both their sorrows. He did not bluntly refuse her offer, but neither did he accept it. She shifted slightly. _Perhaps it is not that he cannot stand, but does not have the will._

"Hey…" Lenalee knelt down, knees sinking into the cold mud so that she might be able to better understand. His white hair hung in his face, partially obscuring the cuts, the bruises, the swollen skin. The soggy locks did not shield from view his eyes, once shining silver with light, though dim, now lacked even a spark. Eyelids dropped half closed, gaze unfocused, uncertain; he had given up.

"Hey" she grabbed his shoulder, shaking him slightly, desperately to grasp his attention. She had seen that look before, more often than she cared to admit. But never had she seen that look on the eyes of a breathing body. His eyes shifted slightly, he blinked, then tilted his head upwards. She released her grip from his left shoulder, and rose. She stretched a gentle smile across her lips and reached out a hand. Silently she stood, waiting. _Please. Please…_

 _There is nothing left in this world. If this is all life is, pain and cold and suffering, then I want to leave it. If friends and family and food are all things used to taunt and mock, then I don't want them. If light is only ever going to be used to taunt me, then I would rather stay in the darkness, away from something I can see but never have. I want to die. There's nothing left. There wasn't anything there to begin with. I want to die. I really want to die… Please. Please…_

"Hey" a voice, a light through the dark. But why? Why can't they just leave?

"Hey" the voice was high, but sweetly so. It was not a desperate voice, merely pleading. Light flooded the void, then color. Violet orbs, a smile, something so simple, but for him… Allen squinted slightly adjusting to the color. She was reaching a hand towards him. Why? To strike? What else was there to take? She remained, standing, smiling, sharing the light. The sun remained hidden behind the clouds, veiling the earth in darkness. But that smile was all Allen truly needed.

He reached out to grasp her hand, but was met only with pain. Sharp pain radiating from his shoulder, he winced and his arm fell down to his side. His head dipped forward, teeth clenched behind a curtain of snowy locks.

"Don't taunt me like that."

"I'm not." Allen looked up to glare at her for offering false hope, something that could never be his, to call her a liar. But he stopped, eyes widening.

"I'm not" she repeated, right arm returning to her side while she extended her left. For a moment, light once again sparked in his silver eyes, a tiny flame of hope. But it was just as quickly extinguished.

"You don't want that" he growled, lifting his own left arm but drawing it towards himself.

"Why not?"

"I'm a monster."

"So am I."

"You're lying." Her glare matched his. They slightly stared until Allen reached up and pulled his glove off with his teeth. What lay underneath the fabric was truly disturbing. The skin appeared horribly burned, with uneven welts and divots. The skin was nearly crimson from the copious layers of scar tissue. The center of his hand was swollen and wrinkled, as his skin had tried to accept the metal cross embedded into it. The sharp, uneven, black 'x' bulged slightly. His fingers had the same scarred skin, with the addition that the tips, the fingernails, were but a bruise, inky black. The entire deformity screamed humanity, if he had been born with any sort of condition, his time among his own kind had done nothing but the opposite to help it. Her eyes scanned the hand, eyes widening slightly, but her face did not contort in horror. Instead, a look of determination set in. she yanked down the socks covering her knees. Her legs were rather exposed, but not completely. The reason now exposed. The skin beneath her knees was riddled with scars. Deep gashes made the smooth skin uneven. Two thick, dark rings circled her ankles not acting as a scar or tattoo, but a permanent bruise. Now it was the boy's turn to exam the scars and allow his eyes to widen. His gaze softened, then settled into a look, matching hers. She extended her left hand once again. Mud had soiled his glove, nevertheless he would not burden her with touching his cursed hand, even if they were the same, it was too soon. He quickly wriggled the glove back on before graciously accepting her hand. She helped pull him to his feet before quickly fixing her socks. She smiled, then began the long walk back to the school. The silence was not heavy, not awkward at all. It revealed far more information to the pair about the other than any conversation ever could have.


	10. Chapter 10: Lone Melody

Thank you Ryuakilover and soursupergirl for reviewing! I don't currently have any ships in mind, Lenalee is just the only one who knows him right now so it was easier to use her. I plan on having similar chapters with all of the characters at some point, next is Lavi I think. Hmmm more about Allen's past would probably be a good thing… I actually have an idea of where the story is going now so I'll keep this in mind :) Enjoy and please feel free to review if you have any comments about the story!

Chapter 10: Lone Melody

Allen reluctantly but graciously accepted Lenalee's assistance in guiding him back to the school. By the time they arrived both were soaked to the bone and unwilling to enter the gym. They bore the frigid rain a few minutes longer in order to walk the perimeter of the school and gain access through the cafeteria. The lack of students and amount of time taken to get back, roughly a half hour, meant they were no doubt late to their next class.

"I didn't show you before but their is an infirmary between the gym and the main office." Allen's head bobbed slightly in response. Lenalee quickened their place, supporting Allen so their destination could be reached in a more timely manor. Marie sat at his desk, chair turned slightly and strumming a strange instrument. The melody was not last to Allen, who perked up immediately at the sound created by the plucking of strings. Lenalee on the other hand ignored the noise completely, taking the time Allen spent being transfixed, and using it to seat him in a plushy chair adjacent to that of the large man occupying the room.

"Lenalee? Is something wrong? Who's this?"

"Marie this is Allen. Link-"

"That man..." Marie sighed. He rose, placed the strings on his desk and crossed the small room to kneel before his patient.

"Allen, do you mind telling me what happened?" Silver eyes darted to Lenalee's, then to the wall.

"What'd you need to know that for?"

"Because I'm blind, I need to dress your injuries, but I want you to tell me how you got them so I don't cause further damage." Marie was patient and a warm grin was constantly marking his features. Guilt swelled inside Allen, accompanied by other emotions on a second. He sighed, setting them all free and leaving himself drained. He was exhausted. He curtly apologized before explaining to Marie his injuries and how they were received. He skipped over trivial things such as the cuts and bruises, mentioning only his aching ribs, throbbing knee and screaming shoulder. Marie frowned, unconvinced that was all but not pushing the matter.

"Lenalee may you grab the bandages?" Marie tugged lightly at what remained of Allen's hoodie. Upon his flinching, Marie explained

"If you take of your shirt, you may damage your shoulder further." Allen reluctantly allowed Marie to remove the hoodie, and t-shirt beneath it. Lenalee glanced at his face, similar to before. But unlike before, his features had a more distinct hint of sorrow and shame. Lenalee handed Marie the bandages.

"I set the other things on your chair… I'm going to go see if Komui has any other clothes, I'll be back soon." She spoke softly and shut the door behind her. Allen sighed as she left, grateful for the privacy. Lenalee had already seen his hand, but she did not deserve to be exposed to it again. Not only that, but she was unaware that the horrid scars crawled all the way up his arm, stopping just below the shoulder, where the normal skin sunk into the scarred bulge of the deformed. His shoulder was lined with patterns, scarred into his flesh, though not nearly as intense as his arm. Thankfully his right ribs were the worst, so Allen was able to shield his arm from Marie's inspection.

Marie quickly fixed his arm back into place with a sharp tug on the immobile limb. The swollen knee was iced, wrapped, and iced some more. Not much could be don for his ribs, but Marie dressed the injuries appropriately, cleaning then bandaging the bruises Allen had 'forgotten' to mention. _How did he know?_

"How did you know?" Marie chuckled slightly, continuing his work.

"You aren't the first to come in here. The head nurse complained nonstop about kids coming from the training courses asking for painkillers but never letting her properly dress their injuries. LInk's classes are way too intense…" Part of Allen wanted to inquire more about why that was, the rest wanted food. He sat in silence, wondering what to do when Lenalee returned. Knocking before nudging the door open.

"Komui had some stuff, but it's probably too big. I grabbed your bag just in case."

"Thank you." Lenalee exited along with Marie to give Allen some privacy. He was grateful to her for the warm, though indeed over-sized clothes. But mainly he was grateful for not having to shamefully re-enter the gym to grab his belongings later.

"Ah, the new student! Komui seemed rather excited about him." A nod.

"What do you think?" Lenalee ceased her half-hearted nodding to glance up at the man.

"Oh… I think… It isn't fair that he has to take the combat class right away…" This was muttered, but Marie heard it regardless. What he lacked in sight he more than made up for in hearing. Allen emerged, backpack slung over his left shoulder. His soiled gloves seemed rather out of place in comparison to the baggy uniform. In truth Lenalee had been too ashamed at having not intervened to avoid the incident to face Komui. Instead she broke into Lavi's locker, which was always dummy-locked, and 'borrowed' his clothes. He was in Link's combat class and she had been near the locker rooms to grab Allen's bag sooo. _Besides, Komui probably only has t-shirts, but all the seniors have uniforms which include jackets._

"Was done Komui have a uniform?" Allen pondered doubtfully. Lenalee tensed slightly as Marie's expression grew doubtful yet intrigued.

"Well you know, they're just here and there, for emergencies. Anyways I should probably get to class, Tiedoll is understanding but I don't want to test my luck, bye." She scurried off, leaving the pair slightly suspicious. At the end of the hall she turned and waved, calling back,

"Hope you feel better Allen!" She rounded the corner and was gone.

"What are you going to do?" Allen shrugged but began walking off only to be stopped by a large hand on his head.

"I'm not going to ask about the scars or your arm, but if you ever want to talk I'm here." Allen stood, frozen by the words. When he finally managed to spin around he was welcomed by that same smile. Allen nodded curtly and darted off.

"See you around Allen, try and take it easy for a few days!" Allen continued weaving about the halls with no destination in mind, but somehow wound up outside the music room. He sighed slightly, the hint of a smile masking his face as he stepped inside. He didn't dare play while school was in session, so he patiently waited. He fell asleep among the abandoned instruments, tucked into a corner and head resting on his backpack of a pillow. He awoke with a start to the distant echo of footsteps and jumbled words. The sound was faint, but he waited a few minutes till that faded.

He pulled the lonesome notebook from his bag, flipping it open to a page that had only been written on once, the only one. On it was a circular musical score Allen had drawn up from memory when he first received the notebook from a teacher. His uncle had taught him to play before he disappeared, and Mana taught him the score. Over the years of sneaking into music rooms, he had discovered the music he knew how to read was not the standard, and had made it his mission to learn the normal way. He almost had it figured out, save a few symbols, but he could usually just fill in the notes with others that seemed to fit the piece. He cautiously walked over to the grand piano, removing the dusty sheet obscuring it. He used the same sheet to wipe off as much dust as possible before lifting the lid and admiring the keys. He tapped a couple out of curiosity and was greeted by cheery notes, though not the right ones. _Not too out of tune considering how long it's been sitting here._ He placed the notebook on the stand and began playing out the melody. He would translate it later, right now he just wanted to get lost in the music.


	11. Chapter 11: Reverberations

Thank you to guest(?) for reviewing. Very short. Next chapter will be Lavi as promised, with more Allen background, also as promised. For right now I'm focusing more on Before War and school so…

Chapter 11:

That night, Allen was unable to reach the mansion until eight. Having heard from one of the kids that dinner was promptly at seven, he was hoping to sneak into the kitchen. This mission was successful, however he got hopelessly lost in the process.

"At least I don't have to die hungry he sighed, grabbing an entire loaf of bread and curling up in the pantry. More likely than not, it was past ten by then and he would be able to avoid Chaoji and return to his 'room', but he couldn't be bothered to move. Instead he sat, back resting against his backpack, in the storage room slowly, due to lack of energy, dining on everything within arm's reach. When the amount of food to be consumed had dwindled away, he fell asleep.

He woke, reluctantly, due to the persistent poking of his face by one of the children.

"Hey, get up" she whispered. Allen started slightly, nodded his thanks and turned to flee. He abruptly halted while doing so, spun on his heel, grabbed another loaf of bread and a half eaten jar of jam and continued his retreat. The girl giggled, following suit. He rounded a corner.

"Hehe, wrong way" she whispered, circling him before back tracking slightly and leading the way down the hall. Despite the fact that her voice was low in volume, it had a certain echo to it. The two were jogging slightly, silently down a hallway. One side lined with windows the other portraits. The girl seemed to be glowing, not as a result of the moonlight, but the same color as what little light was produced by the moon. Allen glanced at the girl's bare feet, distinctly lacking in a nearby shadow, or an shadow at all. She flashed him a grin, sending a mass of curly locks flying around her head, yet somehow keeping her face partially obscured. She took a sharp turn with Allen in hot pursuit only to find a familiar, yet empty, space before him. This was the hall to his 'room'. There weren't any doors but the two? But then you need to go through a door to get here? Now that he thought of it, the moon was still out, what was she doing up so late? Or was it early? Allen shivered and darted into his 'room'.

There was no clock, so he figured it was best to simply hurry. He carefully removed the large uniform, before hastily undoing his bandages to shower. When that was finished, he re-used what bandages he could, leaving the rest of his wounds exposed. With a sigh he brushed his teeth and carefully put the uniform back on. He heard a thump from across the hall, stuffed his stole food into his bag and darted out the door and down the hall. He scampered down the main hall to the main entrance. Unwilling to risk waking anyone else, however, he proceeded to exit the mansion out the main window. He then grappled the main wall, landing in and on the main shrubs. The horizon was lighting slightly as he began the hike to school.

He walked slowly, partially because he was still sore but mainly to waste time. It took an hour to reach the school, half that to devour the bread, occasionally dipping it in the jam until both were gone. The sun had just begun to rise when he reached the gate, only to find that they were locked. He sighed, loud and fighting back the swarm of curses running through his head.

"Well what did you expect, it's a school not a welcome center." Allen spun, only to come face to face with the redhead from yesterday. Lavi, having successfully surprised him, smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Allen's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I don't really feel like going today, want to hang out?" Allen's gaze remained fairly blank and suspicious, however he was actually rather curious about the near stranger before him.

"I didn't mark you as the type to ditch."

"I'm not but you look like you need the day off. Also, I wanted my uniform back." Allen jumped slightly when Lavi threw his arm over his shoulder, guiding him away from the building and further into the city.

"Got any preferences on food Beansprout?"

"My name is Al- Wait… Food?"

"Well ya, it's the crack of dawn, literally. Besides, breakfast if the most important meal of the day!"

"I don't have any money…"

"That's not a problem."

"But-"

"Just trust me. Hm… fast food places aren't the best but that means we can get more." Allen shrugged, continuing to let Lavi drag him along and eventually into one of the fast food restaurants suggested previously by Lavi. Allen ordered twice the amount that Lavi did: eight burgers, two large drinks and two orders of fries. _A full meal last night, food this morning, not being hungry all the time is great._

"So, I was actually wondering a couple of things..." There it was. The catch. Of coarse Lavi wanted something in return, but information. Allen almost would have preferred a fight to the exchanging of information. That got too messy too quick, in a fight one right move and you're done. He tightened his hand into a fist, but forced himself into a faint smile.

"What is it?" Lavi opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the world shattered around them. _Curses are plenty really, I guess jinxes and karma aren't out of the question either…_

 _They_ were here.


End file.
